Wireless Internet

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) at the Department of Commerce is making up to $53 million available to accelerate the development, testing, and commercialization, of secure, American-led AI‑enabled Radio Access Network (RAN) architecture consistent with its statutory responsibilities under Section 9202(a)(1) of the William M.

Satellites offer the exciting new prospect of covering remote areas – such as mountaintops and oceans - with cellular coverage. With multiple companies launching thousands of satellites—and launching trillion-dollar IPOs—the sci-fi prospect of direct satellite-to-phone links has come into the spotlight. But can satellites handle the traffic in more populated areas? Can they support smartphones that are indoors or in vehicles? This white paper sponsored by the Wireless Industry Association provides a reality check based on physics, and some insight into the economic issues in play.

Satellite Direct-to-Device (D2D), also called Direct-to-Cell (DTC), is an emerging complement to terrestrial wireless networks, extending basic connectivity to areas where tower construction is not practical. While promising, D2D is not a replacement for traditional cellular infrastructure—it serves as a fallback option for remote and emergency use. This white paper provides in-depth analysis of (1) the state of satellite connectivity; (2) technical and performance limits; and (3) satellite’s role in the wireless ecosystem.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr highlighted some key wins under his “Build America Agenda” since it was first launched last July in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. As outlined last July, the agency’s Build America Agenda is centered on actions that unleash fast and affordable services for American families and businesses.

Every fiber optic cable carries data as pulses of light traveling through strands of glass. Fiber forms the backbone of today's internet. Yet in the modern day U.S., using light to communicate information requires us to physically lay and bury fiber, costing up to $264,000 per mile. Labor alone drives more than 70 percent of this cost, and securing right-of-way permits can consume months, if not years.

AI has changed what a good mobile network looks like, and the metric the industry has marketed for two decades—peak download speed—no longer predicts it. The networks that top the download charts are often not the ones best prepared for AI traffic. Whether an AI application feels instant or breaks depends in large part on how much a network can upload, how it holds up under load, and how consistently it reaches the cloud, and on those measures, different networks come out on top.

Old copper landlines are going the way of so many other aging pieces of technology as smartphones have become the way many people surf the web, pay bills, watch movies and keep up with friends and family. But some residents of L.A. and California—particularly those who live in fire-prone areas—are determined to hold on to their traditional phones. As telecommunications giant AT&T accelerates its push to retire landline service to about 184,000 households and 15,000 businesses across the state, hundreds of Californians have voiced alarm in public comments.

It wasn’t a surprise when Carolina West Wireless decided to sell its wireless business to Verizon. It’s the same old story for a lot of regional and rural carriers. It wasn’t always like this. Twenty or so years ago, smaller carriers raked in the dough from roaming revenues as larger carriers paid for their subscribers to roam onto their networks. But nationwide carriers slowly but surely expanded their coverage, encroaching on the regional operators’ territories, leaving little by way of roaming revenues.

Rural cooperatives have been the backbone of modern efforts to bring affordable next-generation fiber to long-neglected rural U.S.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk maintains an extremely close relationship with Federal Communications Commission chair Brendan Carr.